Tens of thousands of people participated in a demonstration against the government of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, FOCUS reported.
The squares of the Serbian capital were filled with people of all ages, and footage of the protest is being circulated on social networks.
The Serbian news agency Tanjung reported that traffic on the central city streets was blocked.
Posts are being shared on social networks claiming that there are nearly 1 million people in Serbian squares. A counter-protest was also organized in defense of the government.
56 people were injured in the protests and 22 were arrested, Vucic announced in a late-night address to the nation.
"I want to express my satisfaction on behalf of all the people that a large protest was held in the capital Belgrade and that there were no casualties or serious injuries. The protest was filled with enormous negative energy, which was expressed towards the authorities in Serbia," said the head of state.
Vucic announced that 56 people sought medical attention at "Emergency Care" centers in the capital. He pointed out that no one was seriously injured.
"The man, whom we feared was in serious condition because he received many blows during a fight between demonstrators on "Nikola Pašić" Square, has received the most serious injuries, but even they are not serious. Formally, we could define them as serious, but certainly neither his life nor his vital functions are in danger. This is good and great news“, said the Serbian president.
22 people were arrested for attacks on other people's property or for attempts to fight law enforcement officers and attacks on other protesters.
The Serbian president said that according to the security services, there were between 88,000 and 107,000 people at last night's protest in Belgrade.
"A huge number of people arrived from inside the country, you will have accurate data tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. In any case - a surprisingly large number of people came from inside the country, both from Northern Serbia and Central Serbia,", said Vucic.
Speaker of the Serbian Parliament Ana Brnabić said last night that extremists attacked counter-protesters camped in Pioneer Park in Belgrade. Brnabic said that violence would not be tolerated, writes Tanjung.
"It is a lie that someone from Pioneer Park attacked another. There is clear evidence that extremists attacked both students at the blockades and in Pioneer Park! "Violence will not be allowed," Brnabić said on the X network.
She shared the post of the representative of the Serbian Progressive Party Sandra Božić, who published a video of the demonstration and wrote that it clearly shows who attacked the students in Pioneer Park with stones and bottles.
The protest of thousands in Belgrade ended an hour early due to attempts at provocation by counter-protesters, BTA reported.
Students and citizens loyal to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who last Thursday set up a tent camp in Pioneer Park under the windows of the Presidency, began throwing stones and bottles in the direction of the National Assembly (Serbian parliament)
"This protest is no longer a student protest. "We ask everyone to leave the area around the National Assembly," said the students from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, in order to prevent a clash with counter-protesters.
In the area of Pioneer Park and the Serbian Parliament, masked supporters of the Partizan sports club were also spotted, who also participated in provocations, including against members of the gendarmerie.
In several places in the center of Belgrade, incidents and fights broke out between some of the protest participants, who repeatedly attacked police officers, trying to prevent them from performing their duties and provoke greater unrest, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement. The statement said that law enforcement officers are taking all measures and actions within their jurisdiction to prevent further escalation.
The police issued a final warning to immediately cease any attacks and provocations against police officers or else they will have to intervene to protect their officers.
Earlier in the day, a man with the initials V. B. (born 1972) was arrested. At around 12:45 p.m. local time, he stood on the corner of Knjaz Miloš Street and King Aleksandar Boulevard and told security that he was carrying two bombs and wanted to blow up the Presidency building. The person was searched and no explosive devices were found on him, the Serbian Ministry of Interior announced.
And in the Belgrade neighborhood of "Žarkovo" a car crashed into a group of protesting citizens, injuring three people. They were provided with medical assistance at the Emergency Center, and the driver was detained.
On Friday, 13 people were arrested for violating public order in Belgrade, Interior Minister Ivica Dačić announced yesterday.
Throughout the day, columns of people filled the streets of Belgrade, and movement even over short distances was difficult.
Despite the rain, the protesters on "Slavia" Square in Belgrade there were so many of them and they stood so close to each other that the asphalt under their feet remained dry.
The protest in the Serbian capital was called at the call of students who have been blocking over 60 faculties since the end of November because of the tragedy in Novi Sad.
On November 1 last year, the concrete canopy of the railway station collapsed in the northern Serbian city, killing 15 people and causing a wave of social discontent that led to the emergence of a student movement in the country.
When a student began her speech on Slavija Square this evening, a woman went up on stage and tried to take away her microphone, but the security officers at the protest removed her.
"We will not allow you to deprive us of our freedom, because we are in solidarity, because we know how to protect each other. "We are here because we will not allow representatives of any party to attack students, as you attacked our colleagues from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts," the student said on the square.
The blockades of faculties across Serbia began after representatives of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party attacked students from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts during the "Stop Serbia" action with 15 minutes of silence in memory of the 15 victims in Novi Sad. This action has become traditional for every protest in many Serbian cities over the past 4 months.
Yesterday, protesters also stood in complete silence for 15 minutes in Belgrade, and before that, the names of the 15 dead in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad were read out.
The Serbian Ministry of Interior announced this evening that there were about 107,000 people at all peak gatherings in Belgrade. According to police, "the number of protest participants is constantly decreasing".
"This protest today is not the end of our peaceful struggle, it is a call for a long-term battle that will lead to a change in the system", the protesting students wrote on their "Instagram" profile.
In order for them to be able to take part in further protests, the stay of the students who arrived in Belgrade from other towns has been ensured until March 17.
According to the organizers, this is the largest anti-system protest in Serbia.
A public opinion survey conducted for the needs of the Serbian government showed that support for President Aleksandar Vucic's approval rating has dropped significantly, with only 1/3 of respondents trusting him, while 58% do not trust him.
This was reported by the British publication "Financial Times", quoted by dariknews.bg, which obtained the data.
"An internal government opinion poll obtained by the "Financial Times" shows that support for Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SPP) has dropped significantly: 55% of respondents do not trust him, while only 1/3 have confidence in his leadership.“ “Students have 58% support“, writes the London newspaper.
The text states that hundreds of thousands of Serbs are protesting against Vucic's repression and corruption and that they are resisting fears of a violent suppression of the protesters by the authorities.
The Serbian parliament is closed. Western embassies in Belgrade have warned their citizens of the risk of violence, reminiscent of the end of Slobodan Milosevic's regime 25 years ago, the daily also writes.
The newspaper points out that the months-long protests have become the biggest challenge for Vucic, whom it describes as “Milosevic's minister of propaganda”, but adds that he has managed to survive politically after the mass demonstrations.
"Financial Times" quotes Belgrade student Angela Radojević as saying that "students are convinced that it is time for the regime to end, because a life worth living is only possible after that